Brazilian Spot Where the Hungry Get Satisfied

PLUNK down $16.95 at Brasil Grill in West Hempstead and you can eat forever, well . . . at least until closing time. This new restaurant, at 495 Hempstead Turnpike (538-4425), like the other Brazilian and Portuguese churrascarias sweeping across the Island and city, is a place for hungry, really hungry people.

Diners, no, in this case determined eaters, can graze on 25 hot and cold buffet choices before tackling the main event: rodizio, a continuous parade of grilled meats served tableside from skewers. Some selections are better than others, but there are more hits than misses, no real strikeouts, and the quality of the meat is better than some similar establishments offer.

Before the meat avalanche, check out the soups and stews, including the paprikash-like beef and mushroom stew on the hot buffet and the soft, yet dense, warm cheesebread rolls. I'd give a pass to the cold buffet with its bland mixed salads and ordinary ingredients for make-your-own salads.

Feijoada, Brazil's savory black-bean stew with generous hunks of pork and sausage, can be further enlivened with fresh orange slices and given more body and flavor by adding manioc flour. The superior minestrone, with its long, thin strands of pasta, puts routine vegetable soup to shame.

This all-you-can-eat rodizio (which is one block east of Nassau Boulevard) features meats that have been boldly marinated in spices and herbs, then cooked on grills imported from Brazil. The aggressive seasoning and slow cooking combine to deliver vivid robust flavors.

Among the best picks are tender, juicy lamb, thin-sliced, pink tenderloin of beef, moist turkey breast wrapped in bacon and crusty short ribs with just enough fat to make them interesting.

There are three a la carte entrees other than the cholesterol-loaded rodizio option, but it makes no sense to order them, even though they too include the hot and cold buffet.

We did not sample the sauteed monkfish, but the mariscada, a shellfish stew with a good spicy broth and easy-to-eat little clams, had not a single shrimp and was marred by strong-tasting fish and rubbery calamari.

Shrimp Brazil grill, about a dozen unpeeled, slightly overcooked, medium-sized fellows interspersed with tomatoes and peppers, was equally unimpressive. Both, like the rodizio, cost $16.95 but offer less variety and value.

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A guarana fruit drink ($2), sort of a tropical cream soda with a hint of banana, is an interesting accompaniment to this Brazilian feast, and banana is the ticket for dessert, too. Try the creamy mousse ($4), set over a layer of sauteed bananas and caramel-soaked biscuits.

Openings

Due Torri, the Island's only penthouse restaurant, closed two weeks ago but Ugo Sguanci and his family, who owned the 15-year-old Hauppauge spot, will open La Contessa, at 379 South Oyster Bay Road, in Plainview (681-8200).

The 140-seat traditional, European spot, where Pasta Pesce had been, will have a seafood bar, a smoking room and in the future a downstairs grotto room for wine dinners.

Entree prices will be slightly lower than at Due Torri, in the $12-to-$20 range. Mr. Sguanci is adding buffalo, ostrich, black Angus and new pasta and fish dishes to his menu.

The Deerfield Inn in Water Mill (283-7228), is reopening as a bar lounge with a more limited restaurant function. Published reports that the Independent, a TriBeCa restaurant, would move into this site at 1020 Montauk Highway, were in error.

Wine Tastings

The Tuscany Restaurant, at 187 North Long Beach Road in Rockville Centre (763-9313), will serve a wine dinner featuring food and wines from the Tuscan region tomorrow at 7 P.M. The $90 meal will feature osso bucco as an entree and wines like Terredel Principe and Vernaccia di San Gimignano.

Closings

The Honest Diner in Amagansett will not reopen. Its owners, Jeff Salaway and Toni Ross, have their hands fill with Rowdy Hall and Nick and Toni's in East Hampton as well as a newly upgraded Nick and Toni's in Manhattan.